Project Grant R21NS135308

This federal Project Grant award from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) under the Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders CFDA program provides $424,703 to conduct research on circadian timekeeping in Syrian hamster mutants. The project, led by Marquette University, will investigate how changes in molecular clock function translate into phenotype and pathology, leveraging well-characterized circadian clock mutations in the hamster model. The work aims to gain a more comprehensive understanding of circadian and photoperiodic processes that impact human health. Under a sub-award, the University of Massachusetts will examine the organization and function of the hamster's circadian pacemaker, including the effects of specific mutations and gene deletions. The research findings will be disseminated through publications and presentations at scientific conferences.